Printing mechanism



2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept 7, 1943- F. l.. FULLER ET AL PRINTING MECHANISM Filed Jan. so, 1941 f l v; To s ATTORNEY wl llllllllllllll Il .b 4.`\i,-2!\./U 4... v, .l 5 Q f J x f/fw\ O @Nu O ONO O ONU O OHV @KUNG Sept. 7, 1943. F. L. FULLER ET AL PRINTING MEGHANISM Filed Janv. 3o, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y E N L R O T T u( 'lvgN-ro Bfm Patented Sept. 7, 1943 PRINTING MECHANISM Frederick L. Fuller, West Orange, and Horace S.

Beattie, East Orange, N. J., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation,

New York, N. Y., a corporation'of Nev;1 York Application January 30, 1941, Serial No. 376,620

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in printing mechanisms and more particularly to the type adapted for high speed printing/operations.

Printing mechanisms of the reciprocating type employing type bars and individual type striking hammers have been provided for calculating machines of the key and card controlled types but such forms are objectionable due to the shocks imparted to the mechanisms by operating mechanisms of the reciprocating type. Such forms of printing mechanisms by reason of their reciprocating movements are not capable ofthe extremely high speed printing operations desired and are further objectionable in that they are noisy in operation.

Another form of printing mechanism comprises printing wheels, usually of the gear type and evenness of a platen or surrounding paper strip can be overcome.

However desirable are the characteristics that may be derived by the last mentioned constructions of printing mechanisms they do not permit the possibility of securing many carbon copies and for such operations a hammer blow is necessary and which cannot be secured. by merely forcing the type against a resilient platen.

The present invention has for its main object the construction of a printing mechanism which will permit the use of typewheels and eiect printing by utilizing the type wheels themselves as hammers to secure legible printing with one or more clear carbon copies.

For attaining this object by the design of a printing mechanism having such desirable characteristics, there has been previously devised a printing mechanism shown in the patent to F. L.

Fuller, No. 2,178,749, dated November 7, 1939.' In

wheel against the platen in the specic manner shown will cause the selected type to strike the platen at an angle or a tangential direction with respect to the platen and this has caused a noticeable wear of the inking ribbon. It has been found that the sharp type will, in time, cut the bers of the inking ribbon, thereby weakening the same and preventing the repeated use of the inking medium. It is to overcome the objections in the patented machine that the present arrangement has been particularly devised and the primary object of the present invention is to devise a printing mechanism which is generally of the type shown in the aforementioned patent to Fuller No. 2,178,749, but in which a substantially straight line movement of the printing wheel towards the platen can be effected which will not only give the desirable even impression characteristics but will enable the long life of the platen and inking ribbon.A

More specically it is an object of the present invention to devise a construction whereby the printing wheel is rotated to select a desired type and concurrently effect the movement of the type wheel in a straight line 'as it strikes the platen so that the resulting impact will impel the type against the inking ribbon, paper strip and Platen squarely against these elements to result in an even printing impression. More specifically it is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for a printing machine wherein the straight line movement of the type wheel against the platen can be effected by a hammer blow and concurrently with the rotation of the selected type, and to provide an arrangement utilizing this principle of .operation which is of a rather simple construction and well adapted for practical use.

More specifically it is an object of the present invention to provide the printing machine with an operating gear for each order which is differentially rotated so as to cause the rotation oan idler gear which is in mesh with a printing gear wheel, the further operation of the machine causing the operating gear to be locked so that by resilient means, the idler gear is rolled over the operating gear which will eiect a fur- -ther rotation of the type gear wheel to further upon an arm which is pivoted upon the shaft of the operating gear, the construction being such that a normally tensioned spring will rock the arm so as to cause the rolling action just described, thereby impelling the type gear wheel squarely against the platen.

A still further object of the invention is to devvise a construction of resilient means to operate the arm 'which will operate in the nature of a toggle.

Another object of the invention is to incorporate in the novel printing mechanism a means for eliminating the printing of unnecessary zeros and to cause the insertion of zeros in orders lower than the order in which the highest denominational digit is printed.

Other objects which are relatively important but which are far too numerous to be mentioned herein will'be obvious as the specification is understood and all of which are attained in an enicient manner in construction and design to produce a printing mechanism for a tabulating or other machine having very desirable characteristics in performance, operation and simplicity in construction and manufacture, servicing and appeal in commercial requirements.

The printing mechanism is of a type which can be applied to machines of forms other than a tabulating machine in which it is shown as an illustrativeembodiment.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View of certain essential elements of a tabulating machine for conltrolling the setting of the printing elements of the printing mechanism,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing theimproved construction of printing mechanism and the main drive therefor,

Fig. 3 is a detail of the clutch mechanism,

Fig. 4 is a detail View showing the printing wheel in different positions as it is impelled towards the platen, and outlining the path of the selected type as it moves towards the platen.

The machine in which the present improvements have been incorporated is well known and is exemplified in the patents to Lake No. 1,379,268, dated May 24, 1921; No. 1,600,413, dated September 21, 1926, and the patent to Daly et al., No. 1,896,540, dated February 7, 1933.

In machines illustrated in detail in the above described patents and generally herein, tabulating cards I0 (Fig. 1) are adapted to be fed singly by a picker II from a supply stack to a. pair of upper feeding rollers I2 which convey the card so as to have =the perforations of the card analyzed by the usual perforation analyzing brushes I3 while the card is in motion. The card analyzed then passes to a lower set of feeding rollers I4 which then convey the card to a storage hopper, usual in the type 'of machine referred to.

Card feeding operations are instituted by the usual manual start key designated as ST in the last mentioned patent so as to cause by an electrical circuit the energization of a card feed clutch magnet I 5.

The power for driving the card feeding rollers and other parts of the machine is derived from a motor (not shown) which by a belt I6 and pulley I'I constantly rotates a ratchet wheel I9 secured thereto. The pulley I1 and ratchet wheel I9 are loosely mounted upon a shaft I8.

In Fig. 1 there is shown the card feed clutch for causing card feed and is similar to the card feed clutch disclosed in Fig. 1a of the Lake Patent No. 1,822,594, dated September 8, 1931 to which reference should be had for further details of construction and operation.

Upon completion of the electrical circuit tothe clutch magnet I5 the latter attracts its armature 20 to raise a clutch lever 2l to thereby unlatch energizationof magnet I5 disk 26 will vbe rotated j and successive rotations of the shaft I8, and therefore pinion 21, will ensue as long as tabulating operations are desired. I

The pinion 2l is in mesh with a gear 28 and the latter drives the upper set of feeding rollers I2 and the lower set o f feeding rollers I4. The upper set of feeding rollers is intergeared by pinions 29 one of which is rotatable with a gear 30 in mesh with the driving gear 28. The latter also meshes with a pinion 3l which is rotatable with one of a pair of intergeared pinions 32 carried v by the rollers I4 which drive the lower set of feeding rollers I4 in opposite directions. The driving gear 28 is of sufficient width to drive a gear 34 so that by a train of gears 35,36 a shaft 3l is driven. It is understood that as is usual in tabulating machines the card feed clutch is so designed and the gears are so proportioned that shaft 3l will be given'a complete revolution in the arrow direction shown in Fig. 1.

It is customary in the Itype of machine described to cause printing from type of a printing mechanism which are presented to a printing line in a proper relationship with the analyzing of the index points of the card and to carry out the printing function in a novel manner the improved construction will now be described.

Printing mechanism Referring to Fig. 2 there is shown a printing unit for a single order and which, obviously, is duplicated to effect multiple order printing.

'Ihe shaft 3l, which, it is recalled, is rotated a single revolution has secured thereto a mutilated gear 38 adapted to drive a mutilated gear 39 secured to a shaft 40. To the shaft 40 there is secured a gear 4I meshing with a pinion 42 secured to a shaft 43 which is adapted to be driven by the gearing just described preferably two and one tenth revolutions for each revolution of the shaft 3l, although at times its rotation is interrupted, as will be explained later, to

' permit certain functions to be performed.

To the shaft 43 there is attached, for each denominational order, a ratchet wheel 44 and loosely mounted upon the shaft 43 is a pinion 45 meshing with an operating gear 46. Attached to the pinion 45 is a disk 4l to which is pivoted at 48 a clutch dog 49 provided with the usual clutch tooth 50 iadapted to be engaged with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 44. The clutch tooth 50 is normally held out of engagement with the ratchet teeth by means of a bell crank 5I pivoted on a rod 52. The horizontal arm 58 of said bell crank 5I normally abuts the extremity of the clutch dog 49 to hold the clutch tooth 50 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 44 and such relationship is maintained against the tension of a normally tensioned spring 54. The vertical arm of the bell crank has a link connection 55 to the armature 56 of a printer controlling magnet 51. The magnet 51, as will be subsequently explained, is energized by an electrical impulse transmitted thereto under control of a card perforation at a differential time and coincident with the analysis of the perforation.

The magnet 51, as shown in Fig. 1, is in circuit connection with the analyzing brush I3 so that when the latter encounters a perforation the energization of the magnet 51 will cause its armature 56 to be attracted and the link 55 drawn to the right, thereby rocking the bell crank 5| so as to release the clutch dog 49 for movement by its spring 54, thereby causing the clutch tooth 50 to engage with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 44 and causing by .the shaft 43, which is now rotating synchronously with the passage of the index points past the analyzing brush I3, the rotation of the pinion 45 and the operating gear 46 a number of steps commensurate with the digital value designated and determined by the perforation sensed.

For each order there is an operating gear 46 which is loosely mounted upon a fixed support rod 58 and each operating gear 46 is in mesh with an idler gear |46 which meshes with a type gear wheel 59, each type gear wheel 59 and idler gear |46 being loosely mounted on studs 60 and |41 respectively, carried by a related arm 6| which is loosely mounted upon the shaft 58. To each of the individual arms 6| there is connected a normally tensioned spring 62 the spring acting' to rock the arms 6| clockwise `but; such action is normally restrained by a bail 63.

Each printing gear wheel 59 carries on its teeth raised printing type of all the digits 0-9 inclusive, so that obviously, the differential actuation of the operating gear 46 and idler gear |46 will rotate the type gear wheel 59 a commensurate amount. The rotation of the shaft 43 equivalent to 1.; revolutions is employed to set the wheels differentially and the timing of the card feed is such as to cause electrical impulses to be directed to the magnets 51 after 1% of a revolution of the shaft 43 has been effected. It is also clear from Fig. 3 that the ratchet wheel 44 will rotate counterclockwise idly through an angle equivalent to one tooth space after an electrical impulse is sent to magnet 51 before the clutch tooth 50 will engage. Obviously, for the setup of a "9 digit the disk 41 will be rotated nine steps during the remainder or nine-tenths of a revolution of the Shaft 43. The purpose of this timing is to secure the proper synchronismv between card feed and the rotation .of the type wheel so that any digit up to nine can be set up prior to stopping the shaft After the set up of the type by the shaft 43 the concentric surface 64 of the gear 38 will coact with the Geneva lock projection 65 of the gear 39 thereby causing the shafts 40 and 43 to remain idle during the continued rotation of 'the main drive shaft 31.

Aligning devices Just prior to the time the type gear wheels 59 have been differentially rotated to represent the ries a bail 12. The bail 12 is provided with slots through which pass the operating gears 46.

Pivotally mounted on a fixed rod 14 is an aligning bar 15 carried by a pair of arms 16. A roller 18 is carried by said bar and a spring 19 attached to an extending arm 11 ofV one of the arms 16 causes the roller 18 to bear against the bail 12. When said bail 12 is elevated the roller 18 will be free of the bail so that the spring 19 urging the bar 15 will permit roller 18 to ride down on inclined projection 13 of the bail to cause the bar 15 to engage the teeth of the now differentially positioned operating gears 46 thereby aligning them and the idler gears |46 and type gear wheels 59 in proper differential positions.

Thereafter a cam 8| secured to the shaft 31 Vwill rock a bell crank 82 and since the vertical arm of the bell crank has a hooked connection with the bail 63 by an arm 83 pivoted at 84 to one arm of the bail and hooking over the vertical arm of the bell crank, the cam 8| will rock the bail 63 about its pivot 85. The bail 63 is now withdrawn from locking cooperation with shoulders 86 of the arms 6| permitting springs 62 to rock the arms 6| and in so doing the idlery gear wheels |46 will roll over the operating gears 46 which are now stationary, and the type gear wheels 59 in a reverse direction over the idler gear |46. I

The arms 6| in normal latched position are each so positioned as to effect when unlatched a rolling of the idler gear wheel |46 over the operating gear 46 through an angular distance sucient to cause an impact between a selected type on the type gear Wheel and a platen 81, the type being brought to printing position by the! rolling of the type wheel 59. This is effected after the release of the arms 6| by the normal tension in the spring 62 thus causing arm 6| to be rocked clockwise about the shaft 5B. This tension is effective until the axis of the spring 62 reaches a certain angular position with respect to arm 6|. At this time the momentum imparted to the arm 6| is sufficient to further rock the arm 6| causing a further rolling of the idler gear wheel |46 and during this time the spring 62 Will be retensioned so that after the impact between a selected type and the platen, the arm 6| will be shifted reversely by the retensioned spring 62 and about this time by means to be subsequently described the arms 6| are positively returned to relatched position. This will effectively prevent any rebound of the type gear wheels 59 to cause over-printing. The angular relationship between spring 62 and arm 6| causes both to function somewhat like a toggle so as to impart considerable momentum to the type gear wheel whereby the type of the latter will strike the platen with a hammer blow, and the relationship shown was found, in practice, to be the best for efficient printing operations.

It was previously intimated that the type wheel moves substantially in a straight line as it approaches the platen and to more clearly understand how this is effected the following description should be taken in connection with the dotted line showing of the several positions of the print wheel 59, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. .In the normal position of the type gear wheel 59, the diameter which passes through the axis of the type gear wheel and the selected type is indicated by the line A. As the idler gear rolls clockwise, the type gear wheel will roll over the idler gear in a counterclockwise direction so that the aforementioned diameter will take the successlve positions designated by B C and D in Fig. 4. There are. of course, numerous other positions of the type gear wheel but several of these are illustrated so as to more clearly indicate how the aforementioned diameter intimately is substantially parallel to or in alignment with the horizontal diameter E of the platen. The second position of the diameter is indicated by the reference B, it being noted that the selected type will travel along a path indicated by the dotted line F. A further movement of the gear type wheel as it rolls will bring the selected type more closely to the platen as indicated by the C position of the aforementioned diameter. As the type gear Wheel more closely approaches the platen, the iinal rolling of the type gear wheel over the idler gear will be relatively small so that the diameter indicated by the letter D will, at substantially the time of impact, be parallel or substantially in alignment with the diameter E of the platen. Theoretically there is a slight roll of the type gear Wheel as it approaches the platen but such rolling action is very little because it is nullied by the back lash in the gears.

The straight line movement of the selected type towards the platen is shown by the extremity of the dotted line F in Fig. 4. At the time of irnpact, the selected type strikes the inking ribbon and paper strips surrounding the platen squarely against these elements to result in an even imprint.

It is pointed out that the zero type is the one that is indicated in Fig. 4 so that if no previous movement was given to the operating gear 66,

,A the rolling of the idler gear over the operating gear and the rolling of the type gear over the idler gear in the manner just explained will bring the zero type to the printing line.

The numeral type 0 is positioned as shown in Fig. 4 by the 0 adjacent the gear teeth. In the event a zero is to be printed there will be no movement given to the operating gear 96 so that the idler gear wheel |46 in rolling over the operating gear 46 will roll the type wheel to cause the 0 type to print, as just described. Each printing type will strike an inking ribbon 88 and force it against the usual paper strip surrounding the platen. If a 1 is to be printed operating gear |36 rotates one step clockwise, and through the idler gear |46 the type gear wheel 59 is rolled clockwise one step so that in rolling over the operating gear Q6 in a counterclockwise direction the 1" type will eiect the printing impression. For printing a 2 the type gear wheel 59 is rotated clockwise two steps, and so on for selecting the other type for printing.

After the printing action the arms 6| are restored to normal relatched position a-nd in so doing roll the idler gear wheels and printing gear wheels reversely to normal position. Each arm 6| is provided with a nger 89 which is beneath an extension '90 of the bail 12. A plurality of extensions 90 are formed integral with the bail, one for each. finger 89 of the arms 6|. When the bail is elevated to permit the gears 46 to be aligned the extensions 90 are withdrawn out of cooperation with the fingers 99 so that the arms 6| are free to be rocked. When the printing irnpression has been made the cam 66 will elevate the pitman 68 rocking bail 12 downwardly, and by the inclined portion 13 cooperating with roller 18 the bar 15 will be shifted to the left to normal position. During this operation the extensions 90 in cooperation with the lingers -89 will rock the arms 6|, and since in the meantime cam 8| has also turned so that it will permit the bail 63 to be returned to normal by a spring. the latter wil relatch the restored arms 6| in normal position as the shoulders 86 pass beneath. in readiness for anotherlprinting operation.

Zero elimination and insertion mechanism with a series of control notches I9B one of which cooperates with the related feeler 96 in the event that the operating gear 46 is not rotated which occurs if the digit entered is zero. When the aligning bar 15 i's moved to the right the rod 94 will permit the control arms 92 to be rocked clockwise by their springs 93 and any feeler 96 which enters a control notch 98 will permit; the related extension 95 to be rocked sufficiently to cause the hook S1 to engage a lug 99 of the associated arm 6|, thereby preventing the release of the arms 6| in orders higher than that of those above the highest denominational order of the number printed.

However, desirable this may be in the circumstances just explained, it is necessary to ll in zeros for denominational orders which are at the right of a digit which is other than "0 and which is printed. For example, in printing the amount -2.03- it is necessary to cause the arm 6| of the tens denominational order to be released to print zero even though no movement has been given to the related operating gear 46.

I-n the present machine this is effective by providing coupling levers |00 each of which is pivoted at ||l| to said arms 92. Each lever |00 at its extension thereof is provided with a lug |02 and if the related arm 92 is not rocked due to the f fact that some digit other than 0 is printed then said lug will engage an extension |03 of the arm 92 of lthe next lower order. The arm 92 of the next lower order will thereby be held even though the notch 98 cooperates with the related feeler 96. Since the related arm 6| can be released for individual operation-it follows that the gear type wheel of lower order will cause the insertion of the "0 digit.

Split control mechanism The printing mechanism may lbe split so that the successive orders may be sub-divided into a plurality of independent sub-sets and this is accomplished by providing each of the coupling levers |00 with a manually operated portion |04 which is adapted to be rocked so as to prevent the coaction of the lug |02 and the extension |03. This form of split mechanism is well known in the art.

Restoration of type gear wheels to normal position With the present understanding of the operation of the machine, it will be observed that the type gear wheels 59 and operating gears 46 are moved to differential positions if the digit to be printed is other than zero. It will be obvious that after the printing operation the type gear wheels should be returned to normal position and this is effected by a further rotation of the shaft 43 to the extent of 1% of a revolution after it has been temporarily stopped i-n its rotation during the printing operation.

After the Geneva lock is disabled the gear teeth will cooperate with the gear teeth |06 so as to drive shaft 40 and through the gears 4I and 42 further drive the shaft 43% of a revolution. For the entry of a 9, for example, the disk 41 has been rotatedcounterclockwise through an angle equivalent to nine tooth spaces of gear 45 by the first rotation of the shaft 43 so that, in the example assumed, in order to bring the type gear wheel 59 to normal or 0 position the disk 41 should be given a movement of one step and this step of movement is effected at the beginning of the 1% of a. revolution of the shaft 43. At the termination of the one step of movement the arm 53 will be contacted by the clutch pawl 49 (since in the meantime magnet 51 has been deenergized) thereby disengaging the clutch tooth 50 from the ratchet Wheel 44 permitting the shaft 43 to idly rotate the remainder of the revolution or seven steps.

Obviously if a l has been printed by the adjustment of the related type wheel the shaft 43 during its rotation of eight tenths will turn the type gear wheel 59 eight steps but the ninth step occurs at the start of the next cycle to bring it to normal position.

summarizing, during the rotation of the shaft 43 after it has been stopped the type gear Wheels 59 are turned complementary amounts to bring 4 them to normal positions.

Adjustment for varying number of carbon, copies The upper end of each spring 62 has connected thereto a spring clip |01 as shown in Fig. 4

fitting over a rod |08. The rod |88 is carried by bent projections of a plate ||2 which is pivotally mounted by a rod ||4 upon a frame plate Obviously the length of the spring or the spring clips can be changed more or less so that the initial tension of spring 62 can be selected to cause even impression characteristics. Such adjustment is preferably made in manufacture but for collective adjustment of a series of springs 62 the plate ||2 is adjusted for the desired number of carbon copies. By rocking plate ||2 clockwise from the position shown, by meansrof a cam lever I6 pivoted to plate I2 the series of springs 62 is collectively increased in length and tension and at the same time` the angle is slightly changed While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:

In a machine of the class described having a platen with a generally vertical impression surface, the combination of a pivoted vertically arranged type Wheel support, an operating gear rotatable on the pivot of said support, an idler gear diametrically equivalent to said operating gear and pivoted on said support to gear with said operating gear, a gear type wheel pivoted on said support diametrically less than the idler gear and geared to said idler gear, means for differentially rotating said operating gear to effect through said idler gear the rotation of said gear type wheel to select ra type and then locking said operating gear, means for thereafter rocking said support from its vertical position towards a horizontal position a predetermined amount to cause said idler gear wheel to roll over saidstationary operating gear, and said type gear Wheel to roll over the idler gear at a greater rate than the idler gear to bring a selected type to the printing position, whereby the rolling of the type gear wheel in a direction opposite to the rocking of the support compensates for the downward vertical component of the selected type resulting from the arcuate path of movement of the axis of the type gear wheel, and means for vertically positioning said type wheel support and said platen at such a position with respect to the pivot of the support that said positioning means and said platen jointly determine the extent of angular movement given to said support to secure a hammer action by said type wheel as it strikes the impression surface of said platen, and by such angular movement to effect the aforesaid compensation until a diameter passing through the selected type approximates a straight line movement towards said platen, whereby said selected type strikes the impression surface of said platen with a percussive action and approximately in a straight line.

- FREDERICK L FULLER.

HORACE S. BEA'I'I'IE. 

